The Tales Of Beasts
by hellfrior
Summary: Takes place eight years after Sasuke tries to leave. I made it to were Naruto Actually stops him he is then exiled and makes a pact with an unlikely character. will naruto finish the path to glory, or take the path to darkness? NrauxHinaxAnko
1. Chapter 1

The Tales Of Beasts 

Disclaimer: I do **NOT **own Naruto, Never have, never will.

'Hello' – Normal speech

'_Hello_' – Thought's

'**Hello**' – Demon/ Inner persona speech

'_**Hello**_' – Demon/ Inner persona Thought's

'Hello' – Flash back/ Mindscape

**Prologue**

Konoha, the village Hidden in the Leaves; one of the strongest of the five Shinobi villages. It has been home for 12 long years to a young boy. To others, twelve years may not be a long time, however, only a few people have shouldered the burden that he had to shoulder throughout his life. He, Uzumaki Naruto, was chosen to carry the Kyuubi that attacked the village twelve years prior.

For years, the only question that he wanted answered was "Why am I hated so much?" Unfortunately for him, he found out in a rather cruel way. An instructor that betrayed him and intended to kill him told him. After that, all he wanted was to be apart of the village and form bonds with his new team. Alas, people don't always get what they want or deserve.

The only people that could be considered friends or family are very few in number. The first was one of his instructors. Iruka-sensei was the closest thing to a father that he had. He gave advice and he treated Naruto like he was somebody. He was even willing to sacrifice his life to save Naruto's. That's the sort of thing a loving father would do.

Naruto's mother figure was a woman in her fifties who didn't look a day over twenty-four. "Tsunade-obaa-chan" cared for Naruto deeply. When they first met, he wanted to punch her lights out for disrespecting the old man's sacrifice by saying the position of Hokage was shit. They fought but she was clearly his better. She seemed as though she could care less about what happened to anyone. However, Jiraiya told him when they got to the village how she had protected him from Orochimaru. He told Naruto that she had taken a sword to the chest. He also informed him that she told Orochimaru that he was going to be Hokage someday. She believed in him enough to protect him from harm. That is something that a mother would do.

Now with bonds such as those, you would think the others he had around him would be the rest of the family he never had. Team seven never lived up to those expectations.

His sensei Kakashi ignored Naruto, only to train his rival and the girl Naruto liked. Whenever he would ask for help, Kakashi would tell him that his chakra control was terrible. He didn't even help him on the worst day of his life.

Sakura was no different. It was always Sasuke this and Sasuke that. Even when I he saved her from Gaara, she had assumed it was Sasuke. He told her that it was Naruto, but did he get a thank you? Nope, he got nothing. The event that showed that he would never have her was when he dragged Tsunade to heal Sasuke. He saw her at his bedside, to him it looked like she hadn't left since Sasuke was placed there. When Tsunade healed him and he woke up, she hugged him as if he was the most precious thing ever. It pained him to see that Sasuke had beaten him again; this time he did it without even trying.

Sasuke was mystery. Here was a guy that was loved by the entire village. The "Last of the Uchiha" was begged to let people be his friend, yet he chose to be alone. He was even dissatisfied with being personally taught by the legendary copy cat nin Kakashi. He would be the spark to the worst day in Naruto's life.

Sasuke's greed for power led him to leave the village and go to Orochimaru. Naruto was placed on the team that was to retrieve him. After Naruto finally caught up with him, Sasuke was obsessed with obtaining the power Orochimaru offered. Naruto was caught by surprise when Sasuke attacked him. The battle that followed would be Naruto's undoing. Sasuke shoved a Chidori into his chest, while Naruto hit Sasuke with his Rasengan causing a great deal of damage to both.

While in the hospital Naruto was visited by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Iruka, but never by the person he thought he would.

Flashback

Walking down the street towards his apartment, Naruto saw Sakura talking to Ino on the corner of the street. He walked to them. "Hey Sakura-chan!" All he received was a cold look from the girl. "What? What did I do Sakura-chan?"

"You know what you did." Looking at his surprised face she continued. "You nearly killed Sasuke-kun! I bet you tried to kill him to get him out of the way. With him out of the picture you thought you could go out with me. Well I have news for you, I don't like you, and I think you're annoying. In fact I wish it was you who tried to leave instead of Sasuke-kun. I don't want you to ever talk to me again."

Naruto's face showed pain and betrayal. "_I thought that I did the right thing by bringing him back. Why is she so angry with me? Sure, Sasuke is a little beaten up, but he'll make a full recovery."_

Ino seeing the pain on Naruto's face spoke up, "Sakura, that's too harsh, even for Naruto." Sakura gave the blond a look then stormed off. Ino then turned to Naruto, "She's just having a hard time dealing with Sasuke's injuries. She didn't mean any of that."

Without ever looking at Ino, Naruto spoke, "Don't defend her, it's simple, I thought she was my friend, I guess she wasn't." He turned and continued toward his apartment. Only to be stopped by two ANBU shinobi. "The council has summoned you" They then escorted Naruto to the council.

End Flashback

He was then blamed for all that transpired. They claimed that Naruto attempted to murder Sasuke; they even went so far as to say that Naruto was the very reason Sasuke tried to leave.

After all the accusations, Naruto was then hurt the most by what happened next.

Flashback

Tsunade spoke, "Naruto, it has been decided by the council and approved by myself that as of today you are banished indefinitely."

The words echoed in Naruto's mind. Tears began to form when he realized that this was real. He looked up to see Jiraiya furious and arguing in his defense. _"At least one of my precious people is standing up for me." _Jiraiya was then silenced by the quiet words that came from behind him. "How long do I have to leave?"

Koharu and the rest of the council smiled, "You have two days to pack and leave, if you fail to do so you forfeit your life."

End Flashback

It was on that same day that he decided to leave and disappear. When the thought crossed his mind, a familiar voice resounded through his head.

**"Naruto, if you wish to disappear then allow me to aid you."**

"Why would you help me? And more importantly, why should I even trust you?"

**"Unfortunately, I am unable to ever escape or hold my consciousness together outside of you. With that said, I will die when you do, so I can't have you dieing. So I am willing to teach you all I know in order to survive, and of course be the best."**

"Why am I not surprised by the last part? Either way, I can't really be on my own out there. If I let you out of the seal, you won't be able to escape and take control?"

**"I could, but it would lead to my death and surrender all of my power to you. And personally I don't like the idea of you having that much power."**

Thinking this over carefully, "Alright, I'll let you out, but our pact will be unbreakable, our spirits will be intertwined for the rest of our lives."

With that the birth of the one known as the "Golden Fox" occurred. A blinding light encased Naruto, after the light vanished, Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

The next day Jiraiya was looking for Naruto, only to find that all of his stuff was in his apartment. After hours of searching, he realized that Naruto had already left the village.

Forty Miles Outside of Konoha

"Well, I guess we should start with the training eh damn fox?"

**"It's not "Damn Fox" it's Kyuubi-sensei! And yes, the training starts here." **

If Naruto had been inside his mindscape he would have seen a demonic smile, it was now free to fully reside in its vessel's body.

End Flashback


	2. Surprised?

Disclaimer: I do **NOT **own Naruto, Never have, never will. But really wish I did.

'Hello' – Normal speech

'_Hello_' – Thought's

'**Hello**' – Demon/ Inner persona speech

'_**Hello**_' – Demon/ Inner persona Thought's

'Hello' – Flash back/ Mindscape

Chapter One: Surprised?

It had been eight years since Naruto disappeared from Konoha. Many searches were conducted by order of the Hokage after Jiraiya informed her that Naruto had left and was nowhere to be found. Many tried and all failed in locating their target.

A Temple Inside Rice Country 

'_Hey Kyuubi. How close do you think we are to finishing my training?'_

'Kit, overall, you're not even close, but comparatively speaking, there aren't many on your level. Just keep staring at the rock.'

'_Aw come on. I've been doing this for hours. What makes you so sure I can do this kind of jutsu?'_

'Listen kit, this demonic jutsu requires a lot of focus, now keep trying.'

Naruto had been sitting in the center of the room for hours every day for the past eight years training with his "sensei". From the view of most shinobi, Naruto would bear a striking resemblance to a certain Hokage. His spiky, blonde hair had now grown, forehead covered, ears, barely seen, the rest reaching his neck. No longer the runt he was once viewed as, but rather a large man just over six feet tall. The white robe, bearing the kanji for "fox", he now wore, when standing hangs down to his ankles. His sandals, vest, pants and shirt were all the same color, black. He no longer wore a traditional shinobi headband with the symbol of a village, but just a black cloth tied around his head.

He was trying so hard to do the jutsu that he nearly missed the presence of several people closing in on the temple. Judging from the amount of chakra each had there was no immediate danger.

'_Kyuubi, there are some unwelcome visitors coming into the temple. They're most likely shinobi due them suppressing their chakra. What do you think I should do?' _

'**Well, if they're not any threat, I wouldn't draw attention to myself, but be on guard. Begin meditating and stretch your mind to feel the room. If they are dumb enough to enter, deal with them accordingly. I don't want to have to move again. So don't kill them. That will just lead to even more coming, understand?" **Naruto nods. **"Good, I'd hate to have to do this myself. At least you aren't the same dope from eight years ago that couldn't defend himself.'**

'_Hey, I could protect myself before. Just not as well as now." Naruto said indignantly. The Fox didn't respond. 'Hey, I'm talking to you!'_

'If you have time to try and argue with me, then you've already noticed that the group has now surrounded you.'

'_I know that, but I don't feel a killing intent emanating from them.'_ Without opening his eyes, Naruto spoke, "It's rude to barge in on someone when they're in the middle of meditating." He opened his eyes and turned his head to the member of the group to his right, "You especially know this Neji."

Though they never showed it, all of the members were slightly disturbed that their leader had been identified so easily. What happened next disturbed them further. Neji stepped forward and took his mask off. This never happened, the mask never came off until he was back in Konoha. "So Naruto, how did you figure out it was me?"

"Trade secrets old friend. By the way, Shikamaru, Shino, Ino, and Tenten, you can take off your masks as well."

The group looked at each other then at Neji, he nodded his approval and they continued. All Ino could think of was, '_How did Naruto get to be so hot? Oh I mean, how did he figure out who we were?' _The fact that she was starting to drool showed that she was no longer thinking as a ninja.

"So, I take this isn't a social call." They remained silent. Naruto sighed, "I thought so."

At this point Shikamaru stepped forward, "Naruto, the Hokage has sent us on this troublesome mission to request you come back with us."

Naruto frowned. "I don't think so. I am no longer a member of that village. Therefore, I don't answer to you or Tsunade." Upon finishing, Naruto began to walk out of the room.

Ino was the first to speak up. "Naruto please, I know how you feel about Konoha, but we are in trouble. We need your help."

Naruto glared at the girl, "Answer this Ino, in the eight years I was gone, who actually searched for me without being ordered besides Jiraiya?" The girl remained silent. "That's what I thought." Naruto spoke in a pained voice.

Shino was the next to block Naruto's path, "Naruto, put your personal feelings aside for a moment, and at least give Hokage-sama a chance to explain the situation. If you still refuse you can leave."

"How do I know you're not tricking me?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Have I ever lied to you before?" he answered in his usual stoic manner.

Now that Naruto thought about it, Shino rarely spoke, let alone lie to Naruto. He always felt that he could count on the young Aburame. 'Hey Fox, did you hear all that?'

"**Ya, I heard it. I honestly don't like it, but this creepy kid in front of us doesn't seem to be lying."**

'What do you think I should do?' At this point Naruto had closed his eyes and appeared to be meditating on his feet.

"**I think you should go with them, but be on guard. And remember, you can always ditch them if you don't like what they have to say."**

At this Naruto nodded and opened his eyes. "Fine, I'll go, but I wouldn't get my hopes up about me staying."

Now it was Neji that spoke, "Good, now gather your things and meet us at the front. Also, don't try sneaking away." Naruto gave a hurt look. "I still haven't forgotten that you are a trickster, so I'm not going to let my guard down."

"Hey, I said I was going, I don't go back on my word. You of all people should know that. And besides, I'm already packed." Naruto opened his robe to reveal the many scrolls that had been hidden. "So I guess I'm ready when you are."

The group quickly departed. The formation was your typical escort type with everyone surrounding Naruto.

It had taken two weeks for the small group to once again be at the walls of Konoha. The place had managed to stay the same, with the addition of a new face on Hokage Mountain. 'So obaa-chan finally had her face carved on there. Wonder how she is going to react to seeing me?'

Naruto noticed some of the villagers stopping to look at him, but not with the same distain as before. 'Must not recognize me.' Was the only thought that had crossed his mind. That was until a familiar face stepped out and hugged him.

"Naruto! Is that really you? I can't believe that they actually found you." The woman's voice seemed to be exceedingly joyous.

Naruto looked down, "Ayame-nee-chan, it's good to see you too." At the sound of his name, the villagers seemed to panic and quickly left the area. This did not go unnoticed by Naruto. 'Still think of me as a monster. Heh, wait till they find out about our little surprise.' "nee-chan, I need to go see the Hokage, but after I'll see you at your dad's place for some ramen. Can I count on you to get some ready for me? I am your best customer." She nodded and left in a hurry.

After another ten minutes of walking, Naruto and his group walked into Hokage tower. The place hadn't really changed, much like the rest of the village. That is until he got to Tsunade's office. There was a stack of sake bottles that rose to the height of his chest. He had never seen that many bottles in one spot outside of a bar.

The woman behind the desk looked exactly the same as when he had left, this was entirely due to her being vain and using a jutsu to keep the appearance of when she was in her prime.

Tsunade was doing all she could to not dive across her desk and hug the person she saw before her, while crying. It had been so long since she had even heard his name. She managed to compose herself enough to look at Naruto with a straight face. "So Neji, how did the original mission go?"

"It was a success. As you see, we managed to come across the target that has been missed so many times."

'You've got to be kidding. They found me by accident? Hey Fox, what happened to "No one even knows this place exists"?'

"**Hey, it's not my fault that they stumbled across it. They were probably just looking for a spot to stop for the night, and just happened to try and stay there."**

Naruto was snapped out of his heated discussion with the Kyuubi when a loud voice assaulted his ears, "Naruto! Are you listening?" apparently, the woman had been talking to him for the last couple minutes. "Anyways, Naruto, I have called you here for a reason. That reason involves your former teammates, Sasuke and Sakura. A few years after your departure, they too decided to leave, but not the way most would have. They choose to go to the Village of Sound. Currently, our spies are watching them and have told us that the Sound are slowly preparing for a war. I called on you to aid us in trying to prevent this war."

Naruto cut in, "So you basically want me to go in and severely fuck up the Sound Village." Tsunade nodded. "I'll do it on one condition; I get to choose the members."

It at this that Tsunade spoke in, "I agree, but I also have a condition, you are to take Shikamaru and Hinata along with you."

Naruto sighed, "Okay, but I doubt they will feel anywhere near comfortable near the team I have in mind." Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Tsunade, could you send hawks to these locations with the following message?"

She winced slightly at him calling her by her name instead of "obaa-chan". She knew things would not be the same, but deep down hoped that he would have seen what she had tried to do and forgive her. Such was a fantasy, not even Jiraiya had seen through her plan. "And what might that message be?"

Naruto shifted his feet, "Rally to the Golden Fox at spot Serenity." Everyone looked at him wondering who and where he was talking about.

"Alright, everyone you are dismissed. Except you Naruto." Everyone filed out leaving Naruto alone with his long time mother figure. Once she was positive that they were alone, Naruto sat down, "Naruto, what do you know about your family?"

He gave a questioning look, "Pretty much nothing, I had been told by my caretaker at the orphanage that they abandoned me because I'm a no good monster. Though I didn't believe it until I found out about my tenant."

Tsunade gave a pained look. "Naruto, to understand why I went along with the banishment, you must learn about your family. Do you know the name of the Namikaze Clan?" He shook his head. "That name has all but been forgotten by most. The general thought that goes along with them is that they went extinct with the passing of the Yondaime. The Fourth was the last of the known Namikaze Clan; however, there were two that were directly related to him. Naruto, you are his son."

The look of utter shock was all that covered his face. 'I'm the son of the fourth? That would explain the reason why I look like him.' "You said there were two, who is the other one?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that at this time. However I can reveal you that she is your twin, though you don't look alike. And that you know her very well." The anger was beginning to show on his face. Those blue eyes were turning red, the pupils were becoming slits. "Naruto calm down. As I was originally saying, it is because of this that you were chosen as the container of the Kyuubi. Though only I and Jiraiya knew of your ancestry. No other was aware. Thus the council saw you as the monster itself and not the son of the hero and a hero in your own right. After the near death of Sasuke, the council got their chance to get rid of you. If I had refused, they would have sent a ninja from their own clans to assassinate you. So I went along to let you get away. I actually sent out your friends to search for you after a year and a half with the intention of revealing your lineage. But you disappeared onto to the shadows of the world. Jiraiya had been searching for you for the last eight years to no avail."

The eyes began to return to normal. 'So they didn't know either, maybe they would accept me if they knew. But I think it is too late for most of the villagers to change their minds about me, even if my father was the Fourth. Hey Fox!"

"**What do you want now?" **asked a very aggravated demon.

"Do you believe what she is saying?"

"**Unfortunately, I think she is, though that would explain why you can so most of what he can. But that does give me an idea about what to teach you next." **

Naruto shuddered at those words, training with the Kyuubi meant near death experiences, and a lot of them. "So, when am I supposed to move out?"

"When all of your team arrives. By the way, those coordinates, the location of each was in a different hidden village. How do you know people in those villages?"

"To be honest, I don't feel like sharing those stories with you. Now if you'll excuse me." He bowed and turned to walk out.

"Naruto," he stopped, "do you still hate them?"

"Not really sure anymore, oba-chan" he then continued on his way out.

Tsunade sat in her chair, tears now pouring out from her eyes. 'He called me obaa-chan.'


	3. The Team Gathers

Disclaimer: I do **NOT **own Naruto, Never have, never will. But really wish I did. Sasuke would have died a long time ago.

'Hello' – Normal speech

'_Hello_' – Thought's

'**Hello**' – Demon/ Inner persona speech

'_**Hello**_' – Demon/ Inner persona Thought's

'Hello' – Flash back/ Mindscape

A/N: For those of you reading my stories,

the updates are going to be coming out not as often as I would like. Now I'm not just being lazy, I am a senior in high school with a full plate. Not to mention track season has started and I have been coming home exhusted. Now I'm not trying to make excusses, just informing you as to why I'm taking so long. So without further adou, here is chapter two!

* * *

Chapter Two: The Team Gathers

As Naruto left Tsunade's office, he was enveloped by nine blood red tails and disappeared into thin air.

Unbenounced to him, a familiar set of lavender eyes had been watching. 'Naruto-kun, he's really back. But what were those tails that made him disappear?' She began to blush just thinking about him.

"Hinata!" She jumped at the sound of her name. "I know you're out there. I need to see you."

She regained what little composer she initially had, and began to walk into the Hokage's office. "You called me Hokage-sama?"

"Yes Hinata, I know this is on fairly short notice but I have a mission for you. The majority of this mission is to keep an eye on a certain shinobi. The rest and most dangerous part will be briefed by the mission leader." At these words Hinata began to blush realizing who it was she was suppose to keep an eye on, but at the same time wondered who would be the mission leader.

"Ano, may I ask who the team leader is Hokage-sama?"

"I would love to answer that question, but I honestly don't know." Hinata looked down at her feet not feeling too sure about who she should be watching anymore. Noticing this, Tsunade decided to throw the girl a bone, "But if I had to guess, I think it would be the number one surprise ninja. I hope that knucklehead won't be, I would feel bad for his team, but who knows? He could have actually matured in these eight years. Miracles can happen." At these words both women seemed to cheer up.

Nearly a week had gone by after the messenger hawks had gone to the various villages to gather the people Naruto had requested. The entire time Naruto had been a mystery. In that week nobody, not even Hinata had been able to find the reckless blond. Tsunade started to think that the rendezvous point was outside the village, that is until a familiar sand controlling shinobi arrived at the main gates.

After being informed about this news, Tsunade rushed to meet him. "Kazekage-dono! It's nice to see you. But, if I may ask, why have you come to Konoha?"

"Hokage-dono, it was your messenger hawk that called me to rendezvous here. I believe that it was actually Naruto that I came to see since it was the phrase to openly meet in Konoha and it identified him."

She stood in shock at the complexity of one seemingly simple phrase. Not only did it tell him where to come to, but also in the manner in which he was to arrive. "You are the first to arrive, you will be briefed when the rest arrive."

"Hokage-dono, may I inquire how many scrolls were sent out?" asked Gaara, showing concern in his face.

"Counting yours, eight. Why, is there a problem?" questioned a thoroughly confused Hokage.

"Oh, no problem at all, it just tells me the reasoning why Naruto called me."

After their conversation that Tsunade escorted Gaara to the hotel that he was to be staying in until the beginning of the mission. Over the next two days various shinobi entered the village giving similar explanations. After the third day only one was missing, the Golden Fox himself.

Losing patience, Gaara called the meeting to be briefed on what it was that they were to do. Within an hour, the eight summoned shinobi arrived at Tsunade's office. They were greeted by Shikamaru and Hinata immediately as they opened the doors.

Tsunade sat majestically behind her desk. Behind her stood both Shizune and Jiraiya. The great Toad Sage was ogling the backside of Shizune until her fist respectfully crushed his face. Only to be followed by her muttering to herself. The word "pervert" was all anyone was able to catch.

The group entered and sat down in what seemed like a particular order, but no answers came to mind.

Just as Tsunade opened her mouth flames blazed in the middle of the room. The flames then turned into nine blood red tails, only to reveal an exhausted Naruto. "Hey guys, nice of you to come." Then collapsed on the floor. Hinata was the first to rush to his side and the last to leave him when he was seated comfortably in a chair.

Tsunade gave a stern look to the team around her. In total there were eleven. "Now, all of you have been gathered here at the request of either Naruto or myself. I know some and others I am meeting for the first time. To make this a little easier, I would appreciate if you would introduce yourselves.

There was silence for a moment. Gaara was the first to stand, "As all of you know, I am Gaara of the Sand, Kazekage of the Hidden Village of the Sand."

The woman to his left stood next. Her most noticeable feature was her purple hair and eyes to match." The name's Yugito Kurosaki, I am the future Raikage of the Hidden Village of the Cloud. Pleased to meet cha." She said with a wink.

A slender young woman stood next. Her light green hair was in braids, and a pair of the brightest green eyes imaginable. In a quiet voice she spoke, "My name is Ran Nariko. I am not in a position worthy of recognition, but still just a Jounin in the Hidden Village of the Mist." She sat down quickly, obviously glad to have the spotlight off of her.

The next to stand was a man in his late teens; all noticed the dark marks under his eyes whom had never met the man before. Other than the marks, he seemed fairly normal. "My name is Michio Yaketa. I am a member of the Hidden Village of the Grass."

The fifth to stand was a large woman; she appeared to be only shorter than Naruto. What would normally catch the eyes would be her bright orange hair, but it was her stripes on her body that seemed to have everyone mesmerized. " Greetings, my name is Kaoru Kenkaku. I am a member of the Hidden Waterfall Village."

Tsunade noticed so far that all seem to just state their names and places of origin, giving no actual information about themselves.

The sixth to stand was a man, his every omvement seemed to be as dignified as if he were royalty. His hair seemed to be the only thing that anyone could both admire and giggle about. His thick brown hair was rather long, mostly around the edges, making it appear to be a mane. " You may call me Kinta Shinomori, I am the next in line to become the Tsuchikage of the Hidden Village of the Rock."

He appeared to be smilling, _'I'll have to ask Naruto about that later.'_ Was all Tsunade thought.

The seventh to stand was a smaller man compared to the others, but still reather large. His hawk-like eyes seemed to peer into the very depths of your soul. In a quiet and controlled voice, "I am Kouen Nagasaki, I am a member of a small group of shinobi creating the Hidden Village of Wave. Seen as their leader but still without title."

The last to speak was another woman, her deep blue hair was only matched by her equally blue eyes. Her pale skin seemed to make the blueness of her eyes seem that more dominating. " My name is Safaia Howaito. I am the next in line to be the head Jounin in the Hidden Village of the Rain."

Tsunade sat still, _'He managed to gather a team of nothing but kage level fighters, most of whom I can tell I can't even dream of defeating. You've really picked some good friends Naruto.'_

Tsunade was the first to speak after the long silence, "The Jounin with a head that resembles a pineapple is called Shikamaru Nara. The fine young woman with the lavendar eyes is Hinata Hyuuga. They will be accompanying you along your journy. This mission will help to prevent war from reaching your respective villages, I hope you understand that this is not just a favor to naruto, but a favor to all."

As soon as she finished, the team was dismissed only to gather at the north gate the next morning. Tsunade sat in her office alone, except for the sleeping body of Naruto. She walked up to him noticing the many wounds on his body. _'What kind of hellish training did you go through Naruto?' _She sat there for a few minutes wondering, _'I wonder if I could convince you to stay? It would be nice to hand over the reigns of the responsibility of Hokage to someone deserving. We'll soon see.' _

No sooner did she think did Naruto mumble, "Please oba-chan, why?"

His words stung, she knew he was reliving that horrible day, _'Don't worry; I won't do that to you again. I promise, just give us another chance to make up for it.'_

Naruto slowly opened his eyes; he was in a strange dark room. The smell seemed oddly familiar, yet different. He decided to get up to look around only to barge straight into both Tsunade and Jiraiya. He looked at them, then their hands. _'Huh, that's odd, oba-chan and ero-sennin holding hands?' _Then it suddenly hit him. "OH MY GOD, NO WAY! OBA-CHAN AND ERO-SENNIN TOGETHER!" They immediately tackled him and covered his mouth. All Naruto could think was, _'I never thought the world was going to end in my lifetime. Damn, ain't life a bitch.' _

The two could clearly see the blonde making fun of them in his head. They slowly got up and leaned on opposite walls trying to think of how to get him to forget about what he saw.

Tsunade was the first to speak, "Naruto, you should be asleep right now, between those wounds and the sedative I gave you, you should be in a near comatose state until the morning." Her voice clearly sent the message that she was confused, she looked where his wounds once were. Her eyes widened at the sight of them being gone already. _'No way, even with the healing powers of the Kyuubi, he shouldn't have healed that quickly.'_

Jiraiya caught on to what she was looking at, his eyes became the same size as Tsunade's. "Naruto, how did you heal so fast, even with the help of your…. resident, you shouldn't have made that quick of a recovery."

Naruto looked down at himself, "Huh, oh that. The healing has been accelerated since that last…training mission."

The two Sannin didn't fail to notice the careful pause that the blonde took. At the same time they thought, _'He's hiding something from us.' _

That is when they noticed something different. His whisker marks had become more prominent, his canines, slightly longer forming what resembled fangs. 'He's definitely hiding something.' The two Sannin thought simultaneously.

After carefully choosing her words, Tsunade spoke, "So Naruto, how have you been feeling lately?" She noticed Naruto shift his feet slightly. It was then that she noticed what she had overlooked initially, 'He looks more feral than when he left.' She raised an eyebrow at this thought, 'There is only one being Naruto knows that is capable of making these changes.'

Her face, which had been emotionless, became deathly serious. "Naruto. You would tell us if anything new developed with the Kyuubi, wouldn't you?" He smiled. 'He's freaking smiling!'

"Of course, but you would have to ask the question to get the answer, otherwise no knowledge is gained."

Her eyes shifted to a glare, 'He's using a proverb to answer for him.' She took a breath, calmed herself down a little, 'Well, at least that means he would be willing to tell, but we would have to know to ask.' "So, what has happened between you and the Kyuubi?"

He looked at himself, then at the older blonde, "Just a simple agreement."

"And that would be..?" She asked, showing her irritation.

'Man, are they gonna freak! Well it's not everyday that you find out that someone has willingly let a demon out of its cage.' "I agreed to let Kyuubi out of his cage to reside within my body." Naruto motioned to the two that he was not done. "He is unable to take control without destroying himself, as a result of the seal. So we agreed to bind our spirits together." He smiled seeing the shocked expressions. "As such, I am slowly gaining his power. At the moment, I can harness two tails freely. He is also training me in the many arts that he knows."

Naruto seemed to stop before he wanted to and appeared to be focusing elsewhere. A single thought flashed through the Sannin's minds, 'Kyuubi.'

**"Hey Kit!"**

'Yes Kyuubi-sama.' He said in both a respectful and bored tone.

**"Ask the old fart to finish your training. And I know he hasn't finished because there were several jutsu that I remember him using when he held me off before your father arrived."**

Naruto nodded. 'So, they have finished their little discussion. Wonder what they were talking about.' Tsunade thought.

'Why do I get the feeling that I have a lot of unwanted work ahead of me?' was the only thing Jiraiya could think of.


	4. That Can't Be Good

If you can't figure out that I don't own Naruto by now, you need a large cone hat on your head that says 'DUNCE' on it

If you can't figure out that I don't own Naruto by now, you need a large cone hat on your head that says 'DUNCE' on it.

'Hello' – Normal speech

'_Hello_' – Thought's

'**Hello**' – Demon/ Inner persona speech

'_**Hello**_' – Demon/ Inner persona Thought's

'Hello' – Flash back/ Mindscape

**Chapter 3: This Can't Be Good**

**The next morning…**

"Where the hell is that guy!" screamed an incredibly upset Yugito. "I mean, he's the fastest person alive, and he can't be on time for a mission he called us together for. That ass!"

"Calm down Yu." Spoke Gaara in his usual monotone. "He told me he had to pick up a few things before we left." She gave him an annoyed look. "If you're that bored, go make sure everyone else is ready to go."

"You know, you're lucky we're together, otherwise I would beat you down for telling me what to do."

After what appeared to be half an hour, Naruto arrived. His look changing yet again, his black clothe gone, replaced by on odd forehead protector. (Sorry, I have no idea what it's called, but think of the Nidaime's) No longer wearing the plain white robe, but sporting a black one with orange flames at the bottom, reminiscent of the Yondaime's. The kanji for "fox" was replaced by the emblem of a red fox standing proudly with its nine tails behind it. The other changes were minor, such as the new emblem printed on the new articles of clothing.

"Sorry I'm late guy's, but I had to pick these up, special order and all." Naruto spoke while scratching his neck sheepishly.

"Whatever, just hurry up. This place won't stop starring, it's getting annoying."

Hinata was quietly watching the two continue to banter for a few more minutes, even giggling a little when Naruto's "cuteness" was brought up. For a split second though, she could have sworn that Naruto's eyes turned red.

"I thought I told you already, these marks are fearsome, not 'cute'. Troublesome woman."

"What was that?" came surprisingly from almost every woman in the group.

"Nothing, nothing. Come on, can't believe you guys are holding me up. Slackers." He said all the while sprinting away.

"COME BACK HERE!" came the cry from Yugito.

As the group continued their trek, Hinata strode up to the one known as Michio. "So, how did all of you become a group?"

Looking at her curiously, he spoke, "A few certain aspects of ourselves have isolated us from most others, Naruto saved us in one way or another. Be it isolation or physical attacks."

"What are some or these aspects?" An innocent enough question, but the consequences of the answer were not wanted, namely, an intense beating from Naruto.

"I'll leave it at we have responsibilities no one else has." As soon as he finished speaking, he sped his pace to catch up with Naruto.

'_Great, now Naruto-kun will think I'm spying on him. Even though I've done that since the academy.' _The last line of her thinking bringing an intense blush to her face.

Several hours went by with both Hinata and Shikamaru trying to get something out of the different members, but they all led them to the same line, they're unique.

"Okay guys, we're leaving fire country borders, expect hostiles at any time. The formation, hmm…. we'll go in a line with the order going by the number of tails with Shikamaru in the center and Hinata directly in front of me. Understood?"

A unanimous "Hai!" resounded through the clearing.

The scenery slow changed from the thick trees associated with Konoha to the open plains of tea country. The lack of any travelers on the road seemed to have two reactions to the group. The first told the group that they were headed for trouble, thus the right direction. The second created an immense amount of tension, the threat of attack increasing with every step.

Finally, the lines of traps began to be spotted. The group came to a halt. Gaara, turning around showed one of his few smiles, but it showed the group that the bloodlust never completely left, the gleam in his eye was maniacal, while the smile was down right creepy. "The first line of warning is ahead, what is the plan to go about this?" In his head, Gaara was hoping Naruto would go with one of his crazy headfirst attack plans, but thought better of it, _'Temari would bring me back from the dead just to kill me if I died in a dumb attack.'_

At this question Naruto paused, _'What to do? Could go with a head first attack, but that would get us killed. I'd hate to think what Temari would do to me if she ever got a hold of my soul or body after that.' _Naruto shudders at the thought. _'Hmm…that could work. Defiantly.'_ "Alright, here's the plan."

Two hours later…

"Alright, is everyone in position?" whispered Naruto.

Gaara's voice sounded on the communicator. "Fox, Tails one thru eight are in position, awaiting orders to advance."

Shikamaru's voice soon followed, "Deer and Talon are in position, awaiting orders to advance."

A small smile crept onto his face, _'this is going to be so awesome; I really wish that I could get this on film. Too bad we can't let ourselves be linked to this, it'd really boost our rep.' _"Okay, proceed with extreme caution, don't start the main phase until the signal is given, that goes to you Kaoru." An "ah" sound could be heard on the radio but was soon silenced. With that Naruto sped off leaping from tree to tree.

An hour went by and the traps had yet to cease, _'Okay, someone in sound has __**way**__ too much time on their hands. Come on, who sets up this many traps?' _The answer to his question came in the form of a Chuunin setting up a trap right in front of Naruto.

Naruto tensed, _'Looks like he hasn't spotted me yet. Obaa-chan wasn't lying when she said they were preparing for war. I can't imagine leading a large force through here. The losses would be devastating. Now, what would be better? Kill him here or let him go and risk detection?' _Naruto thought on this for about two seconds before throwing kunai into his throat killing him without a single sound.

After disposing of the body, Naruto resumed his journey till he reached the walls of what he assumed was the sound village.

Taking a quick look, Naruto noticed that the security was rather lax for a village gearing up for a war. _'Something is not quite right here, either Orochimaru has something that has his attention or we're walking into a trap.' _ These thoughts weighed heavily on him. _'Sigh I guess there is no way we can go back now, we are going to have to go through with this, possibly springing that trap.' _

Silently, Naruto scaled the wall. Quickly descending and finding cover within the shadows. Much to his relief, the soldiers that should have been guarding were in fact gathering supplies and loading them onto wagons. _'Looks like I found my target to give the signal.' _

Doing the proper hand signs Naruto yelled, "**Katon: Housenka no Jutsu** (Fire type: Mythical Phoenix Flower)"

The resulting explosions led Naruto to one conclusion _'I blew up something that went boom. Good thing I decided to keep my distance on that attack.' _

Staying hidden, Naruto listens for the sounds of chaos that would envelop the rest of the village when the others started their attacks.

**BOOM…BOOM…BOOMBOOMBOOM! **

'_Alright, time to find someplace that looks important.'_ The grin on Naruto's face was slightly out of place considering the circumstances. The look of mischief seemed fit for a prank, not wreaking havoc.

Running in no particular direction, Naruto spotted a heavily fortified door. _'Looks important to me.' _He thought with glee.

Once he reached the door, he held up his right hand and formed a **Rasengan**. With the completion of the miniature hurricane, Naruto thrust it into doors.

Ripping off of their hinges, the doors went flying, killing two unlucky guards stationed behind them.

Entering the doorway, he noticed that this did not lead to a building, but to an underground complex.

"Guys, I found the entrance going underground, I'm leaving a beacon at the entrance. Meet here when you finish your objectives, if I'm not out in twenty minutes, come get me." With that, he cautiously entered.

At first, there was no light, just pitch black. But slowly, an ominous purple glow reached Naruto's vision. It was seeping from a door. Peering at it, Naruto noticed that this door was your typical run of the mill wooden doors. He slowly turned the knob opening the door, all the while suppressing his chakra.

What he saw caught him off guard. There, laying on a table, was Mitarashi Anko. The thing that confused him the most was the malicious chakra coming off of her. It must have been causing her a great deal of pain if her anguished looks meant anything.

Not even thinking if there were alarms, Naruto rushed to Anko and un- strapped her picking her up bridal style.

He slowly began to get leave to where he entered when he felt what seemed like a bee sting. Using one arm Naruto reached back to pick what he felt was some sort of dart.

He felt his body react violently, as if his body was rejecting himself causing the most pain he had felt in his life. Gently putting Anko down, Naruto felt his world turn black. Not understanding what was going on.


	5. AN

Ok, sorry about the wait. My hard drive completely crashed and I lost all my next chapters. Fortunately I had stored a copy elsewhere, just needed a computer to use. Expect an update for my various stories within the next few weeks.

On a separate note, while re-reading my story the last shinobi war, I noticed a HUGE mistake on my part, and now see the confused reviews. I will fix the problem with tsunade's death. SHE IS ALIVE. She was dead in the old version, not in my rewritten version.


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